how to help Martin.

by Lord Haugh Haugh - SP Wed Jun 11, 2003 14:47

The Police were defending themslves from Terrorist Police Agents.

by Aupa Can Masdeu!! Wed Jun 11, 2003 20:07

The correct address of the house Can Masdeu is:
http://www.canmasdeu.net

by the school around the corner Wed Jun 11, 2003 21:18

Sure that eejit McDermott could never spell properly ..... another semi-literate Paudeen emigrant that we're better off without ......

by -dubious is it passport or custom? Wed Jun 11, 2003 21:35

pray tell have I ranckled today?
I and I'm sure it is quite certain many of the readers as well, think it is most cruel to poke fun at dsylexic episodes and the unfortuante practise common in Ireland till the end of the 1970s of forcing left handed children to write with the right.
Though I never succumbed and am sinistral to this day, the school around the corner trained poor puadeen imigrants who still "write their letters home"...

by joe Wed Jun 11, 2003 21:38

I used think oh wow I am lefthanded, born lefthanded, grew up lefthanded, had my first toss lefthanded, stayed lefthanded. all despite the shrewish gaeilgoir Mná na hEirinn bitch who in Colaiste Mhuire high babies did her effing upmost to change me.

....{ autonomy begins with self }.....

¿ut of interest how may lefthanded are amongst us?

by the school around the corner Wed Jun 11, 2003 23:01

A fockin' "citeog" if ever there was one .....

by duke of rutland lord muck earl of pearly wisdom Thu Jun 12, 2003 12:22

for the non Irish speakers.

by friend Thu Jun 12, 2003 14:20

Statement from Martin Shaw
6 June 2003

At three in the morning on the first of June, an affinity group of
seventeen of us left Lausanne to head for a strategic bridge on the
main motorway between Geneve and Lausanne. For days we had been preparing
the non-violent blockade, in order to disturb the G8 meeting, which we
consider illegitimate. We aimed to stop the delegates reaching the conference centre in Evian. Our research told us that they would
have to cross this bridge when travelling via road convoy from their hotels to the
conference centre.

The plan was for Christina and I, both very experienced climbers, to
be suspended off either side of the bridge, on a single (but very strong)
specialised climbing rope. To do this, the rope had to cross the carriageway, effectively creating a road blockade on the bridge with
the rope to which we were attached. If the cars would drive through the blockade, they would break the rope, and send Christina and I falling
twenty meters to our potential deaths.

After trapsing in the dark through the valley below the highway, the
thick woods, and across the stream, we reached the place under the bridge
where we made final preparations for the action and hid for the remainder
of the morning while waiting for the call from our scout stating that the
convoy had been sighted and was on its way. After hours of waiting and
repeatedly going over and over the plans, we received a call saying
that the delegates were underway. We jumped into action all assuming our
different, and well rehearsed roles.

I, along with my rope assistant, hiked down into the valley to wait
for the line to be tossed to me from the bridge so that I could climb up into position. Meanwhile the others made their way onto the bridge. Ten of them slowed and stopped the trafic, using banners explaining that if
they continued to accelerate, they could kill the two climbers.

While the traffic was being blocked, Christina and her two climbing
assistants set up the ropes. Every precaution was taken to make sure that
the action was as entirely safe - rope guards to stop fraying were put into place, the ropes were wound around the bridge’s crash barriers
(which later saved Christina’s life), fluorescent orange and silver flags
were hanging from the rope to make it visible, the banner used to stop the
trafic clearly said in French that two people would die if the rope was
crossed, among many other safety elements we had been planning for
days. As soon as the traffic came to a stand still, the climbing assiatants
gave Christina and I the signal to begin. I pruseked up as Christina abeiled
down; we served as a counter balance for each other.

While the police were creating havic out of a very controlled and calm
situation on the bridge, Christina and I were in the process of finalising
our positions underneath. I was prepared to stay suspended off of the
bridge until forcably taken down, because for me the G8 have no right
to collectivley dictate a global economic policy which puts their own profits over the needs of people and the environment. Take for instance the
recent illegal war in Iraq or the issue of debt cancellation for the worlds poorest countries.

As three policemen climbed over the gap between the two carraigeways from where my rope was hanging, their eyes followed the rope down and
aknowledged me; I waived to them and shouted ‘bonjour’. I did this in
order to establish a friendly connection with the police, as I expected that a team of experienced police climbers would be deployed, survey
the situation before acting, and finally get us down safely. In all of my many years of experience as a climber, I could never have
fathomed that anyone would touch the ropes by which you hang. But then I felt the rope as it was cut. During my fall of 25 meters I thought,
‘Oh my God, they cut the fucking rope.’

I was conscious through the whole event. I remember hitting the ground; I landed in the small and rocky creek at the bottom of the valley. I landed
more or less feet first on my left side; my head hit in the deepest pool in the very shallow creek, which probably saved my life. I was chest
down in the freezing water, trying to hold my head and upper body out of
the water with my hands; I was completely entangled in the rope that fell
with me. I knew Christina was still hanging from rope off the bridge, but
I had no clue that she was still suspended only due to the efforts of
our friends on the bridge who caught her rope and held onto it for her
life. I was amazed I was not dead, infact I hadn’t even lost consciousness.
However, I was in incredible pain, mainly in my legs, lower back, and pelvis.

I was in the creek for a long time getting colder and colder. I was
worried that I had a spinal inqury and I was not sure how to deal with it.
I was not sure if I should move or not, but the water was moving me
anyway. I decided it was best to get out of the water, so I tried to drag
myself out onto a rock, but I could not do much. The first person to reach
me was my rope assistent, who was stationed nearby under the bridge.
From
the top of the bridge our group’s doctor came running down; she and
the
other two members from our group in the valley helped me. There were
several military police who, after a lot of persuading in French, also
came to get me out of the cold water and rocky creek. I was in severe
pain, mostly in my left leg and back and hip. They moved me to a
grassy area above the creek where I received medical care from our group
doctor, and, after a long wait, by emergency Swiss medical doctors. I was
then flown by helicopter from the site to the CHUV hospital.

The authorities seem to be creating many difficulties for my friends
working in Switzerland to support me, at all times I have a gaurd
outside of my hospital room who stops all but the few ‘allowed ‘ to see me,
they check any paper work that is brought into me before I am able to see
it, and there is a total media ban. Strictly speaking in terms of my
health, I am receiving wonderful care from the doctors in Switzerland, and I
wish that the millions of people across the world who do not have adequate
health care due to policies impossed by the G8 through international
financial institutions, such as user fees on health care, could have access to the same health care as I have received.

However, I am not happy that the Authorities wish to repatriate me so
quickly. I do not feel ready to leave, needing a further operation to
stabalise my injuries. It would be very convienient for the Swiss
State if I was no longer in their country, and could cloud legal issues of
culpability if mediacal complications were to arise once I was being
treated in another country. There seems to be a desire from the Swiss
Government to pass off this whole event as an ‘accident’. I am
entirely positive that the police knew I was hanging from the rope ; for me
this event cannot be passed off as an accident.

There has been no offer from the Swiss Police, or Government, to
cover any of the medical and legal bills I am facing Infact my support group
are experiencing severe difficulties researching my legal rights under
international agreements between Switzerland and the EU, receiving
largely conflicting information from various Swiss Agencies involved.

Currently we are working to mount a legal case against the Police and
the Swiss State, to recoup the medical costs and for compensation, as
well as to challenge the increasing inpunity of the state and its executive
forces.

The plan, in the spirit of non-violent direct action, was to create a
road blockade with the rope, but that of course goes on the assumption
that the
police and their governments care more about human life than trafic.
But on June 1st that was not the case for us, and the only reason I am still
here to tell this story is sheer luck, the amazing and quick response
from my friends on the bridge, and the emergency doctors who have taken
care of me since the incident.

Martin Shaw
CHUV Hospital
Lassanne
Switzerland

« I am really quite angry about the difficulties my friends have in
visiting me. Whilst I understand the delicacy involved in respecting
the
needs of the other patients in my room, I find it reppresive that only a
list of three people can visit me, even during the official visiting hours.
To station a security gaurd at the door, who checks the identification of
my visitors, is clearly reppresive and undemoctratic, and an
infringement of my civil liberties. »
Martin Shaw about his hospital conditions

« It is a fundamental of any democratic State, that any free
individual has free and uninhibited access to speak with the press. Yesterday,
against my protest, a female journalist who was interviewing me was
physically dragged out of my hospital room, even though she was
attending during regular visiting hours.
It seems a political, as opposed to medical, decision that the access
of the media is impinged. I find it quite unaceptable that I am being
treated in this way....is it that the Swiss State is trying to bury
this
story ? »
Martin Shaw on his access to the media

« I am incredibly frustrated that I will have to spend the next 6 weeks bed bound, and that after that I face a further three months in
constsnt medical care. All this, due to the wreckless and life threatening
actions
of the Swiss Police, and their unaccountable puppet masters. This story
is only one of the thousands of acts of political repression that occur daily, the world over.
At least I am fortunate enough to have access to
western hospitals, unlike the majority of people in the world, who are
kept poor and denied the most fundamental of human needs, by the
dictatorial and undemocratic neo liberal policies of the G8 governments
and their corporate partners. »
Martin Shaw on his western fortune

« They wage illegal wars in the name of freedom and democracy, whilst
violently reppressing those who dare to advocate geniune liberty »
Martin Shaw on global repression

by off on a tangent as always. Thu Jun 12, 2003 14:26

how to send Cash.

in the Español state the account is:
This ought be quite simple from Ireland € zone, and may be your first experiance of "freedom of capital".
0081-0055-44-0006151525 Banc de Sabadell.
the account is in the name of Esther Cerro
lodge with reference "Martin".

if you are in NI or UK then there is a campaign to lodge sterling from UK IMC.
there is also an acount open in Switzerland.

by on tangent again. - it is psycho-hermeneutics. Thu Jun 12, 2003 14:31

ó dán na Nuala ní Dhomhnaill.
(que me mola)

"na laethanta seo
is féidir lesi uaireanta a chloig
a chaitheamh ag féachaint amach an fhuinneog.
Tagann scéinshúilí móra air
má thagann tú air go hobann,
aniar aduaidh, mar a cheapann sé.
ólann sé a chuid tae as sásar.
níl lí na léithe aige.
B'fhuirist a dh'aithint riamh air
gur í an déirc a bheadh mar dheireadh aige."

=These days/he can spend the hours/ looking out the window/his eyes wide with fright/if you come on him quick "widdershins" as he thinks./He drinks tea from a saucer,/ he hasn't a tosser/ 'twas easy knowing/he'd end up a beggar.

by iosaf (o k me mola Nuala! gneasai sexy poetess. Thu Jun 12, 2003 14:32

Help Martin.